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Beisbol Sudamerica had three first ballot inductees for the 2004 Hall of Fame class. Pitcher Pepito Cortina was the headliner at 99.3%. OF Romolo Mendez was next with 83.7% and 1B Caco Gallegos was close behind at 78.2%. 3B Nicolas Carnicas was nearly a fourth inductee, but fell just shy of the 66% requirement with a debut at 64.8%. The other player above 50% was C Sancho Sanchez with 53.7% in his sixth ballot.



The lone player dropped from the ballot after ten failed try was Francisco Almanza. The 1982 Pitcher of the Year with Ciudad Guayana, he had a 12 year career with a 162-128 record, 3.15 ERA, 2718 innings, 2859 strikeouts, 117 ERA+, 83 FIP-, and 59.3 WAR. Almanza regressed quickly in his early 30s and didn’t stick around long enough to get the accumulations needed for entry. Almanza was as high as 39.4% in his second ballot before ending at 5.5%.

Also worth noting was 1B Amerigo Orozco, who fell off after his ninth ballot. He ended at 2.6%, but was as high as 40.2% in 1997. Orozco had a 10-year career with 1690 hits, 804 runs, 307 doubles, 280 home runs, 892 RBI, a .332/.386/.567 slash, 173 wRC+, and 53.7 WAR. He was a big playoff performer as well who helped Concepcion to two titles. Orozco retired young after his age 32 season, also following short of the longevity needed to get across the line.



Pepito Cortina – Starting Pitcher – Rosario Robins – 99.3% First Ballot

Pepito Cortina was a 6’0’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Villa Carlos Paz, Argentina; a city with around 56,000 in the Cordoba province. Cortina had incredible stuff that graded as 10/10 at his peak. He also had above average movement with decent control. Cortina’s fastball was only 95-97 mph, but he had a legendary changeup, earning tons of whiffs by changing speeds. Cortina also had a forkball and splitter in his arsenal.

Cortina had very good stamina and good durability in his prime years. He was also a great batter, winning five Silver Sluggers with a career .314/.347/.425 slash, 121 wRC+, and 11.1 WAR. Cortina did have a couple games at first base, but wasn’t ever used as a full-time two-way guy. Still, his bat was strong enough to earn occasional pinch hitting use. He worked hard and had an impressive lengthy career.

Cortina was one of the top pitching prospects entering the 1980 Beisbol Sudamerica Draft. Rosario picked him fourth overall, although he only saw 10 innings in his debut season 1981. Cortina was a full-time starter after for the next 14 years for the Robins. He was solid in his first full season, earning a second place in Rookie of the Year voting. Cortina emerged as an ace for Rosario soon after.

In extra innings in 1983, Cortina had a 21 strikeout game against Rosario, becoming only the fifth pitcher in BSA history to fan 21 or more. That season, he had a 7.4 WAR effort. Cortina won his first Silver Slugger the next year, but missed six weeks to a partially torn labrum. After his 1985 effort, Cortina signed a six-year, $4,640,000 extension to stay with Rosario.

Cortina also was a regular for Argentina in the World Baseball Championship from 1983-2000. He tossed 245.2 WBC innings with an 18-7 record, 3.26 ERA, 376 strikeouts, 81 walks, 113 ERA+, and 6.4 WAR. As of 2037, he has the 34^th most strikeouts of any pitcher in the WBC.

1986 saw Cortina lead in ERA (1.90) and strikeouts (381). It was a career best in ERA and in WAR (9.3), earning Pitcher of the Year honors. This season also saw Cortina toss BSA’s 38^th perfect game, striking out 11 against Sao Paulo on August 5. The Robins were around .500, but still couldn’t quite end a lengthy playoff drought. Cortina won POTY again and a Silver Slugger in 1987, leading in WAR (9.1), wins (22), strikeouts (421), and WHIP (0.85). Rosario earned their first playoff berth since 1935, but went one-and-done in the playoffs.

Cortina led in strikeouts again the next two years with a career-best 431 in 1989. That was the 15^th most in a season in BSA history and the second-best effort by a pitcher not named Mohamed Ramos or Lazaro Rodriguez. He also led in home runs allowed that season and wasn’t a POTY finalist. He took third in voting in 1988. Cortina also won Silver Sluggers in 1988, 89, and 90.

Rosario made it to the Southern Cone Championship in 1988, but fell to Cali. They won 93 games in 1989 and 1990, but just missed the playoffs both times. The Robins were still hopeful that Cortina could lead them to the peak, signing a five-year, $6,300,000 extension after the 1990 campaign. Cortina wasn’t a league leader or awards finalist in his remaining Cordoba years, but he was consistently a solid starter.

Rosario had the best record in the league in 1991, but were upset in the first round by Belo Horizonte. The next year, the Robins narrowly got a wild card. However, they went on a run and claimed the 1992 Copa Sudamerica, which remains Rosario’s lone title as of 2037. Cortina sadly missed that playoff run with shoulder inflammation knocking him out the entire second half. He had four playoff starts in his career for the Robins with a 2.63 ERA over 27.1 innings, 32 strikeouts, and 127 ERA+.

Still, he was considered a big reason the historically mediocre Rosario franchise had a run of success. Cortina would eventually see his #30 uniform retired. He was still good in his final years with the Robins, but the franchise regressed after their championship season with four straight losing seasons. He would reach the 4500 career strikeout and 200 career win thresholds in his last season for Rosario.

In total with the Robins, Cortina had a 200-150 record, 2.59 ERA, 3382 innings, 4524 strikeouts, 785 walks, 293/409 quality starts, 165 complete games, 129 ERA+, and 81.6 WAR. Rosario executed the option for the final year of his contract for 1996, but ultimately traded him just before spring training. The now37-year old Cortina was moved to Recife for five prospects. The Retrievers were the defending Copa Sudamerica champs and looking to add veteran depth.

Cortina had a bit of a comeback season with the Retrievers, leading in strikeouts for the first time in since 1989. He also posted 6.5 WAR, his first 6+ WAR effort since 1990. Recife went 115-47 and repeated as South America’s champion. In 30.1 playoff innings, Cortina had a 3-0 record, 2.67 ERA, 30.1 innings, 41 strikeouts, and 114 ERA+. He ultimately served his role perfectly to help the Retrievers repeat.

However, the franchise viewed Cortina as a rental. He was a free agent now for the first time at age 38. Santiago felt he still had value, giving him a three-year, $5,800,000 deal. Cortina had a good 1997, leading the league in wins with a 5.2 WAR effort. The Saints made the LCS and Cortina had a 1.72 ERA in 15.2 playoff innings, although they couldn’t get to the final.

Cortina’s Santiago run ended in disaster in his second season. On May 7, 1998, he suffered a torn UCL, putting him out for 14 months. He failed to meet the vesting criteria on his deal and any figured his career was over. It was the end of his South American run, although Cortina wasn’t done with baseball quite year. MLB’s Houston Hornets surprised many by not only signing Cortina, but giving him a hefty three-year, $14,160,000 deal.

It was a poor investment for Houston. Cortina made it back for the summer of 1999, but went back on the shelf after two starts with bone chips in his elbow. He pitched the first chunk of 2000 and ate innings, but otherwise was mediocre. Houston traded him in July with a prospect to San Francisco to get veteran and future EBF Hall of Famer 3B Robert Beck. Cortina only made it four starts with SF before shoulder inflammation knocked him out nine months.

Cortina wasn’t done yet as Columbus gave him a chance. He only made two appearances before getting hurt again and eventually cut in the summer of 2001. Charlotte signed him to a minor league contract, but would give him five starts in the majors. Cortina looked mediocre, then got hurt again. He finally called it quits that winter at age 42. In his MLB run, he had a 4.78 ERA over 209 innings, 82 ERA+, and 1.4 WAR.

Cortina’s much more impressive BSA tenure had a 241-168 record, 2.63 ERA, 3933.1 innings, 5246 strikeouts, 343/479 quality starts, 185 complete games, 126 ERA+, 78 FIP-, and 94.5 WAR. He was the fifth pitcher to reach 5000 career strikeouts and sits eighth as of 2037. Cortina is also 28^th in pitching WAR as of 2037. His strong bat only increased his value, making Cortina an easy first-ballot choice. He was near unanimous at 99.3%, leading the three-player 2004 class.